"What do you mean my life is a rip off of Pride and Prejudice?" The girl dressed in a beautiful white lacy gown hugging her at all the right places, said, offended.

One of the bridesmaids, Ashley, scoffed teasingly, "How is it not? Charlotte married Mr. Collins for pragmatic reasons! You're the same, Evelyn."

"Just in the contemporary setting," another one of the bridesmaids and Evelyn's dear friend, Lily, added, "That was Pride and Prejudice this one's Tide and Service."

"Tale of two conglomerates!" Scarlet, the maid of honour, chimed in, "Although I don't know much about literature– but very Dickensian of you, Eve. Consider writing your next bestseller to be a romance."

Evelyn rolled her eyes at her three friends losing it after such lame jokes, "Romance is the last thing I would write. I'm good with crime fiction thrillers. Thank you!" She dismissed their jokes not wanting to taint her profession by doing such a thing.

She never imagined her life would turn out like this. She was a woman with a career. Being an author did not allow her to socialise or be out enough for hookups. The three friends she had were from back in school and university. She loved her profession. Her books were doing amazing, two were in the top ten best sellers list for three years straight, and she couldn't have asked for more. She was a very private person and went to the University of California, Berkeley for her higher studies, probably that's why people didn't know Regalia's owner, Jeon Ji Sub had a daughter. She was invisible because that was her choice and she loved it.

She pressed the sides of her dress carefully before sitting on the chair nearby. Ashley brought her veil towards her and Lily and Scarlet helped her wear it. The veil definitely added weight to her head and shoulders. She sucked in a sharp breath and looked at her three friends.

"I don't know," Her face saddened, "We haven't met once and I don't want to marry so early— I'm just twenty-nine for God's sake!"

Lily and Scarlet sat on her sides while Ashley bent in front of her and held her hand gently, "You'll be just fine. Didn't you guys talk over a call?"

"Right, you said he had no problem with your conditions," Scarlet muttered adding words to the conversation.

Evelyn nodded her head slowly, "He did. Honestly? He sounded as against this marriage as me, but Dad told me he agreed to it right away and oppa said so too."

Evelyn hated her father unfathomably when she heard that he had fixed her marriage with a guy she had never even heard the name of. She got into a big argument with him and her mother was not of much help either. Instead, she was siding with the father, trying to make her understand how beneficial it would be for their brand.

She had cried for days after that, she even heard Wonwoo arguing with their father but it was of no use either. Jeon So Won, her sister-in-law comforted her day and night and helped her get through it. She played a major role in making her comfortable with the situation because there was no way out. She was also married off to Wonwoo as an alliance but later they fell in love, although Evelyn can't say so for herself.

Ashley gave a soft squeeze to her hand, "You'll be fine. I did a bit of research and well, he does not have that bad of a reputation, you know? Minus the cold icy personality that intimidates people. Rest, he's good."

Evelyn buried her face in her hands, "I'm not saying he's bad. I just...I don't want to marry and hate that it's not a choice for me. I overheard Oppa saying this was an amazing deal that would benefit Regalia in the long term." She put her hands away and sighed, "I love him more than anything in this world, I couldn't have said no."

"Sounds like a pretty solid reason for conglomerates to arrange a marriage," Lily remarked, "I should probably write a new drama around this setting. What say?"

Scarlet scoffed at her, "What did we talk about taking inspiration from real life, Lily? I better not see a new marriage of convenience drama that credits your name for the script."

"I'm not promising anything!"

Ashley and Evelyn chuckled looking at their two friends bicker. Ashley glanced at Evelyn and stroked her head lovingly, "You're gonna be fine, if not, I hope you didn't forget we can spank some asses." She said followed by a wink.

Evelyn snorted and nodded her head. She was trying to calm her nerves when the door of the room opened, revealing her brother and sister-in-law. Her three friends took it as a call to give them privacy and left the room giving them their space.

"You look so beautiful!" Sowon chirped, "Your soon-to-be husband is very  lucky— make him never forget that."

A soft giggle escaped Evelyn's throat, "If we ever get comfortable enough, that is."

Wonwoo's face grimaced at his sister's words. He had tried his best to avoid this from happening but was unsuccessful. He knew his father, nothing could've ever changed his decision but he tried everything he could and at last, he had to accept it. The only relief was that she was getting married to Seok Jin who had a rather good image in the business world. He did his research on his soon-to-be brother-in-law and was somewhat satisfied with his treatment and business habits.

It still ached his heart to see his sister being used as a pawn in a business deal. He had told Sowon to look after her when she was having emotional breakdowns because he knew she would never show it, not to him at least. That made him feel worse. He even went to his mother, but being the businesswoman she was, she saw nothing wrong in the alliance conditions.

This was not how he imagined his sister's wedding. He always thought he would be dismissive towards her boyfriend and pretend to not like him until he begs Wonwoo to marry his sister, that way he could've also made sure she was with the right person— But alas! Whatever had to happen, happened and he was unable to make his beloved little one leave the forced alliance.

He went towards Evelyn and stroked her head lovingly, feeling overwhelmed by his helplessness at the situation, "Oh you look so beautiful, Won Hee."

She scrunched her nose, "Oppa we discussed this. It's Evelyn." She pouted after completing her sentence.

Wonwoo chuckled, "That's your very own Korean name, what's so wrong with it, Miss Evelyn?"

Evelyn shook her head, "Don't like it. Plus, I'm used to Evelyn, if you call me anything other than that I wouldn't even know you're talking to me."

"Fair enough," Sowon announced, "Seok Jin will take a little time so the ceremony is delayed by fifteen minutes. You'll have to wait a bit."

Evelyn smiled and nodded, "That's no problem."

The two left the room and Evelyn plopped back on her chair. Evelyn sighed and stared at the trees visible from the hotel window, "I hope it turns out fine..."

—

Seok Jin fixed the black bow around his collars. He sighed for the nth time and combed his hair carefully, trying not to mess up the hairstyle, more like trying not to lose calm over such an anxious event that awaited him. The sleek, tailored black suit fit him perfectly, revealing his unerring attention to detail. Yet, his mind was miles away, fixated on the problems his company was facing. It had been a month since the meeting and here he was prepping himself to marry a girl he had only seen a picture of.

Seok Jin expected to see her during the meeting of the two families but she was not present and Evelyn's parents informed them that she was in California regarding some paperwork, which he found unassuming. He was immediately annoyed by her apathetic attitude. Although he had talked to her over a call, which he was forced to by Namjoon and Hoseok, and agreed to her conditions like having separate rooms— a study room precisely for her, respecting boundaries, and not meddling with each other's business until utmost necessary. It's not like he was looking forward to establishing a deep relationship with her either, he just wanted a cooperative person who wouldn't demand his time and attention because he knew he couldn't provide that and Evelyn understood it too.

He was so deep into his thoughts that he barely noticed his six friends entering the room until Namjoon's exaggerated gasp broke his concentration.

"Touchwood!" He said, "I always thought I'd see a unicorn before seeing you getting married. What's next? Pigs flying?"

Seokjin glared at his friend and let out a purposefully audible scoff. He went back to looking at himself in the mirror and focusing on his hair.

"I wonder if the hell froze and nobody told me," A pale guy lounging on the couch with his usual laid-back demeanour spoke, "I don't believe this until I see this guy kissing the bride. Nope!" He shook his head vigorously.

Hoseok chuckled going towards Seok Jin, "Cut him some slack, Yoongi. You can capture the kiss as proof and get it framed."

"Not funny, Hobi." Seok Jin complained, finally keeping the comb back in its place and taking a seat beside Yoongi.

"I'm so going to make bomb of a video of all the wedding moments and send it to you, Hyung!" The young boy in his early twenties exclaimed showing off his expensive video camera.

"Send it to me too, Jungkook. I gotta watch it day and night and remind myself that I have a sister-in-law now." Taehyung added as he threw his arm around the youngest's neck.

This made Seok Jin more nervous. Was the girl he was marrying going to care for his family like he does? He did not want his family to have any expectations for her while they were busy planning a ton of things to do as soon as they finished reciting the vows. His jaw automatically tightened at the thought of her possibly mistreating his loved ones but he was also sure that he would never allow that.

"Hyung, I thought you would be the last one standing in the bachelor club with me!" The petite boy whined, "I half expected you to show up with a PowerPoint presentation on the economic benefits of some deal and I'm not kidding." Saying this he burst into a fit of laughter, throwing his head back and accidentally hitting the wall.

Seok Jin shook his head, "Serves you right, Jimin."

"Come on, Hyung. Light up!" Taehyung demanded, "You're about to get married. At least pretend to be excited."

"I am?" Seok Jin said noticing Taehyung's eyes sparkle, "Excited to get this over with and go back to work." His eyes dimmed.

"Classic Jin!" Namjoon remarked shaking his head in disapproval. "She's a good person, I've read her books."

"How does a chunk of letters printed on paper show the nature of a person, Namjoon?" Seok Jin questioned, "Care to explain?"

Namjoon smiled, "Nope."

Yoongi tapped Seok Jin's thighs lightly, "Authors barely move. You'll barely find her out of the study room."

"And how do you know that?" Seok Jin countered.

Yoongi pursed his lips in a thin line, "In case you forgot, I write too even though it's music, all writers are the same."

"He's right, Hyung," Jimin chirped massaging the back of his head where he got hurt, "I did the role of a famous author two years ago. More than half of the shoot was in the same room. Pretty boring to be honest."

"Jimin, that character was a psychopath who was busy plotting in his little burrow, away from society," Taehyung spoke in disbelief.

Jungkook snorted out loud, "And he wrote about the murders he committed because he found it amusing." He suddenly looked at Namjoon, "Hyung, doesn't Evelyn write about murder mysteries too?"

"Oh yeah!" Namjoon sang, "She does indeed."

Seok Jin scowled at Namjoon and the lot present in the room, "Can you guys just shut up, now? It's really not funny. Just get out."

The other six giggled mischievously and did not move a hair. They were the only people Seok Jin was friends with and could trust his life with them. Namjoon and Hoseok help him out in the company. Yoongi was a music producer and also invested in PureGlow at the very beginning of its existence, he also produced the theme music for the company's advertisements. Taehyung was Seok Jin's younger brother who managed Kim Group's jewellery line, Sparkara. He had already been friends with Jimin, who was the nation's top actor, since his high school days. Jimin was also active as the brand ambassador and face of PureGlow. Taehyung had met Jungkook during a photography exhibition. Jungkook later started working for Sparkara as its videographer and photographer. Seok Jin had met them a few times and eventually, it led to them all being friends with each other. He especially adored Jungkook, who was the youngest of the lot and Taehyung and Jimin would often complain about his biasedness.

Seok Jin loved each of them dearly and cherished their friendship a lot but currently they were not helping his situation, which is why he was getting annoyed at their usual antics. He was constantly dreading the secrets the future holds for him, for PureGlow, and for this new relationship that was about to unfold.

—

"As you have taken your vows before God, promising purity and loyalty to each other, I pronounce you as husband and wife. Mr. Kim Seok Jin, you may kiss your bride."

Evelyn stiffened as she heard those words. She looked at her now husband's face, her view was hazy due to the veil but she could see discomfort in his expressions. She had to admit, she was enchanted the moment her eyes fell on him. He was beautiful and majestic, standing so tall and firm. For a moment, she regretted standing beside him because she felt she was not a match for him and never would be.

Her chain of thoughts broke when she felt her veil being lifted up. It was him. He was lifting her veil up, gently. She finally saw his face, bright and clear. She was a bit taken aback when he started leaning forward, but just in time, he held her forearm in one hand, caressing it, and waist in the other, very softly which helped her relax. She soon felt his plump lips on hers and her heart paced up. The kiss ended as soon as it started, it was barely a peck.

A loud wave of cheers and claps erupted in the hall making her conscious of the crowd. She hurriedly put her veil down and faced the crowd, standing beside Seok Jin, who maintained a safe distance between them. She just got married to the most eligible bachelor of Korea and all she felt in her heart was sadness for reasons she didn't know. Unconsciously a drop of tear escaped from her eye which she wiped immediately before anybody could notice.

Seok Jin noticed his now wife wiping something off her face, most probably tears. He was too nervous to pay attention to her when she walked down the aisle, but he noticed her beauty when he lifted her veil for the kiss. He was disheartened because he knew a girl like her should have been married to someone who actually cherished her. Their vows were as hollow as a drum, there was no sincerity in the foundation of this relationship. She looked too gloomy and it pained him how her life was being traded for mere reputation in the business scene. He had no idea how he was going to face her at home. He had already made mental notes of avoiding her every time he could not because he disliked her, but because he was aware that a girl's life was bartered out in the open and he took a part in that.

The two didn't share a word and went on to greet all the business tycoons, friends and relatives present in the hall. The couple put on their best fake smiles and did their deed. Evelyn was greeted by her in-laws with great enthusiasm and Seokjin, with his, just minus the enthusiasm. All he saw in his in-laws' eyes was greed and selfishness. He knew Jeon Ji Sub was lauding his own back for what he achieved after this deal. He was now going to rise up even further in the tier ranking of all the businesses in the country, just second to the Kim Group. Seok Jin hated how selfish he himself had become to agree to this arrangement. This alliance ruined a girl's life more than it did his. The only people he could trust his wife with, in her own family were just Wonwoo, his brother-in-law, and his wife, Sowon. The two seemed to get along with her a lot. He had noticed Evelyn's expressions relax when talking to them and this was the least he could do.

The biggest quest to this marriage was living in the same house, under the same roof, all day and all night. This was the next and most important phase of their relationship. They had to learn to get along with each other which was going to be hard. Very hard.

—

Evelyn and Seok Jin had changed their outfits for the after-party, right after finishing the greetings with everyone. They barely talked, just some glances of acknowledgement. Evelyn was holding Seok Jin's arm, for the show, and they went on to meet the ones who were left.

"My parents want to meet you." He said in a low voice while maintaining his fake smile. She hummed in response and they both went towards the said couple.

"Oh! As expected, you look stunning in everything." Kim Ye Jin, Seok Jin's mother and Evelyn's mother-in-law, exclaimed in pure joy, hugging her softly.

Evelyn bowed politely and smiled back, "You're more beautiful."

Ye Jin frowned, "I don't like this, Evelyn." This made the girl very conscious of herself. "Call me mom. I'm dying to hear it from you."

Evelyn was a bit taken aback by her mother-in-law's humour but smiled and nodded anyway, "Yes, mom."

"And what about your dad?" Kim Hyun Bin, her father-in-law, who was silently standing all this time suddenly questioned.

Evelyn grew nervous, "Uh...he must be here somewhere." She answered not sure of where her father was, clearly embarrassed for some reason.

Hyun Bin laughed, "I was talking about myself, dear. If she's your mother, then automatically I'm your father, no? Or does that come with any conditions?"

This made Seok Jin uncomfortable, he immediately looked at Evelyn, who was indeed uneasy in the situation but was trying her best to smile. He looked at his father and shook his head which made the old man realise what he had accidentally said.

"He was just kidding, love," Ye Jin said, in an attempt to avoid the awkwardness in the room due to her husband's silly joke. "Please don't mind."

"I swear all I want is you calling me Dad no conditions whatsoever!" Hyun Bin said scratching the back of his head.

Seok Jin facepalmed mentally, this came out worse than the previous sentence. He was about to say something when Evelyn spoke up, "Thank you...dad." She smiled at him, genuinely.

"Please excuse us," Seok Jin said in his infamous monotonous voice and the couple excused themselves away from the old couple. "Umm...if—"

"Hello!"

An enthusiastic low voice pierced through the silence between them, right before Seok Jin could say whatever he intended to. Seok Jin felt Evelyn flinching for a brief second before standing firm back on the ground.

"I'm Taehyung, Jin Hyung's brother and your brother-in-law! You're—"

"And I'm Beyonce— move, Tae!" Jimin interrupted pushing Taehyung on the side, so he was standing right in front of Evelyn. Soon five other guys joined in too, towering around the couple.

Evelyn was confused by the whole situation. She gave Seok Jin a questioning look while trying to maintain her smile, "Hello, I'm—"

"Pretty! You're very pretty, Noona." Jimin spoke, grinning and shooting sparkles from his eyes.

"Why do you keep cutting everyone's sentences, Jimin? Grow up!"

Taehyung scolded his friend while Evelyn smiled awkwardly and looked at Seok Jin once again who was busy shaking his head.

"Y'all really can't keep it in for a few hours," Yoongi spoke, unimpressed by the younger ones' banter. He looked at Evelyn and smiled, "Nice to meet you, I'm Yoongi, Jin's friend."

"Nice to meet you too," Evelyn replied shaking his hand.

"I'm Hoseok, Jin's friend and also personal assistant. You'll probably see me very often. Apologies in advance." Hoseok said maintaining his professional tone.

Evelyn chuckled, "I don't think that would be a problem. Lovely meeting you."

"Hello, Evelyn! First of all, I loved your book Somewhere in the Woods, you're an amazing writer. Secondly, I'm Namjoon, Jin's partner. I also keep these idiots in line." He leaned closer to Evelyn, and whispered, "Let me know if any of these morons annoy you— including Jin."

Evelyn grinned at his words and smiled nodding her head. Seok Jin rolled his eyes at the exchange. She looked around and spotted a boy standing behind Hoseok and Taehyung, she almost thought he was hiding. She waited for him to introduce himself but he didn't look like he was going to.

"Hey, I'm Evelyn, and you are?" Evelyn asked softly peeking behind Taehyung and Hoseok, which made them disperse revealing a young boy, with a camera around his neck. His cheeks grew scarlet as he looked away, trying to avoid her gaze. But just in time, Taehyung pushed him forward.

"Umm...I'm...I'm Jungkook. Nice to meet you, Noona."

Evelyn had no idea why she felt sudden endearment towards him, maybe because she had no younger siblings and she always wanted one. She smiled and shook his hand, "Please mail me the pictures later. I'll look forward to them."

"Oh? Oh, yes. Okay. Give me your ID later." Jungkook spoke clasping his hands.

"They're my...friends." Seok Jin spoke for the first time, glaring at the bunch. "Hoseok and Namjoon work with me, Jungkook and Taehyung work together. Yoongi and Jimin are...well, there?"

Jimin gasped dramatically, "Just there?! What do you mean, Hyung? I'm the damn ambassador for PureGlow. You can't be serious."

"And I'm your investor, Kim Seok Jin," Yoongi spoke nonchalantly.

"Be for real, guys. This is not the place," Hoseok said trying to calm everyone.

Namjoon shook his head, "Everywhere is a place for them."

Evelyn couldn't help but laugh at their conversation. She could sense they were a very close-knit group and their good energy was contagious. She could feel herself relaxing in their presence.

"Noona, if you ever feel too overwhelmed, just call me. I'm a fun guy, I promise!" Taehyung spoke amidst the banter, away from everyone's attention.

Evelyn smiled and nodded her head, "Sure, Taehyung."

All of them started chattering and Evelyn could feel nervousness and worry taking over her body. Her body stiffened with every passing minute. She ran her eyes all over the room and still couldn't find her parents. Her gaze fell on her brother, who looked too gloomy. She suddenly spotted Ashley coming in her direction, she had a small red diary in her hand, seeing which Evelyn let out a sigh of relief.

"Hello, Seok Jin. I'm Ashley, Evelyn's friend."

Ashley spoke grabbing the attention of the called man as well as his friends. Jin greeted back and Ashley introduced herself to everyone present there while they did the same. During the exchange, Ashley handed the red diary to Evelyn and continued with the conversation, when Lily came there too, the saga of introduction went on.

"It's interesting seeing you here, Noona," Jimin said to Lily. "I did not expect you, especially her, to be here."

Evelyn turned her head and followed Jimin's gaze, only to find Scarlet standing at a distance. Evelyn looked back at him and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "You guys know each other?"

Jimin nodded his head, "I was supposed to work with Lily noona but that couldn't happen due to some reasons."

"Hey! You turned down my script. Don't put it like that." Lily said in disbelief.

Jimin's little laugh erupted in the room as he shook his head, "I didn't turn it down, I just put it on hold because I had too many projects going on at that time— blame this guy!" Jimin said pointing at Jin, "He made me work day and night for his company."

Lily looked at Seok Jin amused, "So, this is the guy you kept rambling about? The one who made you sit for photoshoots for days and days that made your ass swell up?"

Evelyn chuckled at the conversation and also at the disbelief on her husband's face. He looked confused and offended. If eye daggers could kill, Jimin would have been long dead. Jimin panicked at the revelation and smiled awkwardly trying to tone down the tension, while the other guys kept saying stuff to fuel Seok Jin's offense. Jimin looked at Evelyn and she swore she saw him pouting. She took it upon herself to ease the situation.

"Jimin, you mentioned Scar too, do you know her?" She asked him in an attempt to divert the topic.

Jimin looked at her confused, "Scar who?"

"Eunha, the one standing there," Evelyn pointed at her friend at a distance, "She prefers being called Scarlet."

Jimin's mouth formed an 'O' and he nodded his head, "Kind of. Eunha cameo-ed in my drama. It wasn't the most pleasant thing though."

"Careful of what you say of my friend, Jimin," Evelyn joked, "But I agree she can be a bit too much at times."

"He told me she swapped his wardrobe and he went to the set wearing a hanbok when it was an action sequence," Taehyung chimed in.

Ashley laughed, "It was you? But you look so sweet though."

"Oh I am, but wait— what do you mean I look sweet? What did she tell you?" Jimin asked.

"Didn't you change her script?" Lily asked.

"Oh yes, he did! I saw it happening in front of my eyes," Jungkook spoke for the first time.

Evelyn couldn't help but crack up at the situation, "Looks like you guys have a long history."

"It's going to be very interesting though. But you be careful, noona. How did you even manage to be with her all this time?"

Evelyn shrugged her shoulders but before she could say anything further, Seok Jin came in her direction and told her that they were leaving in a few minutes. It made Evelyn remember that she was really married now, a new house, in a new relationship, new everything. She nodded her head and excused herself from the group to bid farewell to her brother and parents if she found them that is.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Author's note: I hope that was good. The chapters are going to be this long, or maybe even longer. Writing is hard haha

Stay healthy everyone! <3